Chapter 48: Michael Bungay Stanier on massive moons and the magic of metaphor

On a pair of folding lawn chairs on his front porch in Toronto's Roncesvalles neighborhood, I sat down with my friend Michael Bungay Stanier. Michael's mind is like a box that you open and a whole bunch of springs suddenly fly out in all directions. Here's a bit of his biography to give you a taste of this guy: "I've never quite fit the traditional mold, and honestly, I think that's been the advantage that has shaped my life. Smart and successful don't have to look one way. But making space for that – for different voices, different ambitions, different ways of moving through the world – takes real work. That's my work. That's the mark I want to make on the world: helping people figure out what matters most to them and how to get more of that." Should we stop there? No, I'll keep going.    Michael is an Australian who went to Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar. There, he met a beautiful Canadian woman who he fell in love with and followed back to Canada. He founded a company called Box of Crayons which teaches 10-minute coaching strategies so busy managers can build stronger teams. Most recently, he also founded MBS Works, a digital platform featuring all his books, courses, keynotes, and tools focused on individuals who want to positively change their lives. He has won numerous awards for Coach of the Year and wrote a book called 'The Coaching Habit' which turned into a huge phenomenon with (in only 3+ years) over 700,000 copies sold and over 2000 Amazon reviews. (Sidenote: The book was published by Jesse Finkelstein of Page Two Publishing, our guest in Chapter 23) Michael is also the author of 'Do More Great Work,' 'How to Begin', 'How to Work with (Almost) Anyone', and 'The Advice Trap.' I love Michael Bungay Stanier. He's one of the most fascinating minds in my life, and I feel so grateful and honored to call him a friend. I hope you fall in love with him too. In this chapter, we talk about simplifying complex things, finding curiosity, and of course, his three most formative books.   So pull up a lawn chair!   And let's flip the page back to Chapter 48 now....